


Not my cup of tea

by InLust



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Barista Skye, F/F, Fluff, coffee shop AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-13
Updated: 2015-01-13
Packaged: 2018-03-07 11:24:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3172516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InLust/pseuds/InLust
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Coffee Shop AU. Skye was used to making coffees, cappuccinos, lattes, you name it. She worked at a coffee shop for crying out loud, so why the hell is a beautiful English woman ordering tea? More importantly, how the heck do you make tea?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not my cup of tea

**Author's Note:**

> This came from an idea my friend concocted. I promised I'd write him whatever opposite version of his own coffee shop AU so this is his fault. And I can't help it, I love coffee shop AUs so I thought I would give this one a shot as well. Hope you enjoy it!

Skye had been staring at the textbook before her for what seemed like forever. Honestly, her eyes were just growing heavy from being up since 4am for her shift. If her coworker Lance hadn't  _gotten sick_  for his afternoon shift, she wouldn't be in this situation and could have had a beautiful nap by now. She willed the day to go faster but there was no avail.

She glanced up at the clock. It was just turning 3pm and she wondered how she had not just collapsed in the backroom after the afternoon rush had gone by.

She rolled her neck and twisted her torso to hear a few of her vertebrae crack. Looking around behind the counter, she pulled up a stool and sat down on it to alleviate some of the pressure in her legs. Only two more hours before her class started.

The textbook on Advanced Cryptology almost seemed like gibberish to anyone else but Skye forged on. She highlighted the most important parts and tried to retain as much as she could to prepare for class. It wasn't like she hadn't dabbled in network and security before.

After a half hour of blissful peace with only Skye and her managers Phil and Maria, the bell rang catching Skye's attention.

Through the waning sunlight that had already casted elongated shadows on the varnished wooden floors, Skye squinted briefly to see who had entered the shop at such an odd hour.

Skye furrowed her brows as she stared at a woman who seemed about her age that she had never seen before. To say that this woman was well put together was an understatement, she had made  _casual_  look  _professional_. She had been wearing a pair of dark jeans with a white portofino shirt underneath a black open blazer. She had been carrying a large but practical bag on her shoulders and a large textbook in the other.

As she took off her sunglasses, she shook her golden brown curls slightly. Skye felt her jaw drop. The woman shot her a friendly smile as she approached the register.

"Hi, welcome to the Hub," Skye greeted as she placed her bookmark in her textbook and pushed it behind the register.

" _Hello_."

 _Oh god, she's English._  Skye swooned. She had no shame in doing so. She smiled even more brightly.

"What can I get for you today?"

Skye mentally guessed what a woman like that would drink. She took a moment to observe the newcomer.  _Science textbook. Lab access badge. Latex gloves in her blazer. Bag full of files and papers. She was in for some serious work._

_Maybe a red eye? No no, she seemed like a sweet girl--a sweet, smart girl. Maybe a caramel macchiato? What if she secretly indulged in sweets? Maybe a chocolate chip frappucino?_

"Could I get a  _cuppa_?" she asked.

Skye furrowed her brows as she stared at the woman.

The woman let out a giggle before she realized her mistake. "Sorry about that," she said sweetly, "could I get a cup of  **tea**? Milk and sugar?"

Skye stammered as she felt the gears in her brain grind.  _Tea. Tea. **Fuck**._  This is why Lance should've been there. She should've figured the English woman would ask for  **tea**  out of all things.

"Is that alright?" the woman asked when Skye didn't respond right away.

"Oh yeah!" Skye brushed off with a bright smile. She kept her poker face on as she typed the order into the register. "Would you like anything else?"

The woman stared at the stock of baked goods and looked at it thoughtfully before she shook her head. "That's quite alright, thank you."

"Name for the order?"

"Jemma."

Skye typed in her name before taking the cash from the woman. "Great! I'll call you when it's ready."

"It's for here as well, so take your time letting it steep," Jemma added as she put her wallet back into her bag of files.

As the woman walked off to sit down in a booth against the window, Skye grimaced.

She quickly looked behind the counter for the tea and wondered where Lance had put it last. They  **never**  got tea orders.  _No, that wasn't true,_   **Skye**  never got  _tea_   _orders_. Her mornings always consisted of a range of simple to complicated brewed coffees and lattes, never tea with milk and sugar. Usually she just dumped a bag of tea into a cup and handed it to Lance to make it better.

She cursed at herself as she looked for the mugs that were meant for staying customers. Her hands shook the whole way as she found the Earl Grey tea and dipped it into the hot water she had poured. She remembered vaguely how much milk and tea to put into the cup.

The dark water had turned into a light creamy color and Skye wondered if she had fucked up.

She bit her bottom lip and carefully carried it from behind counter. If it sucked, the least she could do was provide excellent customer service.

"Here you go, Jemma," Skye said as she placed the tea down gingerly.

The Englishwoman looked up from her textbook surprised to see Skye standing there. "That's very kind of you. I could've easily gotten up," she responded as she picked up the mug. She blew on the tea gently as Skye stared in anticipation.

"It's been awhile since I've made tea," the barista found herself nervously admitting. "I hope it's good."

Jemma looked up at Skye with an amused smile before taking a sip.

Skye knew she was staring earnestly at the woman but she couldn't help it.  _What if it was too watery? Too milky? It wasn't supposed to be that light was it?_

"It's good," Jemma said with a smile. She took another sip to prove it.

Skye groaned out loud. She messed up. She knew  _those_  smiles on pretty faces like Jemma. "Aw, you're just being  _nice_ ," she pouted as she picked up the mug. "It probably tastes like crap."

Before Jemma could protest, Skye took a sip of it and gasped at the hot liquid burning her tongue. She stuck out her tongue in pain before slamming the mug back down on the table.

"Sh---shet-shet- _shetttt_ ," Skye cursed comically that Jemma started laughing. She felt like her tongue had lost a layer of taste buds. She blushed knowing she had just made a complete fool of herself.

The worst part was that she couldn't even taste the tea properly.

"Are you okay?" Jemma asked as she stared up at the barista.

Skye tried to breathe evenly so she could refocus the pain of her burnt tongue and garner some semblance of humanity. She nodded quickly at the woman.

"Now that I've made a complete fool of myself, I am just going to take this cup of tea back and make you a new one," Skye said, the redness never leaving her cheeks. The look on Jemma's face made her blush even harder as she reached for the mug.

"Don't trouble yourself," Jemma protested as she placed a gentle hand on her wrist. "It's perfectly fine."

Skye stared her dubiously but Jemma was pretty insistent on her leaving the tea. _How could she protest when a beautiful woman had her hand on her?_

"Okay," Skye conceded.

Jemma smiled brightly in return as she turned her attention back to her textbook.

Skye walked back behind the counter. She stared discretely and watched as Jemma sipped at the tea she made.  _It is so bad, I just know it,_  she thought to herself as she grabbed a glass of cold water to sip for her tongue.

As she stared at the English woman in the booth, Skye decided that it was probably best if she learned how to properly make tea.


End file.
